| Review by vonwegen October 7, 2004 (3 of 3 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics: |
On first listen, the 5.1 mixes are stunning in places--on the best sounding tracks the acoustic guitar envelopes the listener and new details spring up everywhere on the songs where Nick is accompanied by bass, drums, strings, piano and the occasional electric guitar fills played by Richard Thompson.
The best mix is "Black-Eyed Dog"--if the surround mix doesn't make your hair stand on end, it's time to have your hearing checked. Other standouts include "Hazey Jane 2" & "Northern Sky".
On the flip side, "Pink Moon" is marred by the cheap-sounding microphone (probably a dynamic one) aimed at Drake's acoustic guitar--it distorted because it was likely placed too close to the guitar's soundhole, so there isn't much that could be done to fix that. Similarly, "From The Morning," from the same album, has the same, slightly grungy sound.
On "River Man" there is a fair amount of tape hiss, which is also noticeable on "Cello Song", "Hazey Jane 1" and "Road", but the mixes are otherwise quite nice.
Overall, the sound varies between three and five stars, depending on the track. The performances are all great. If I could give the sonics an overall 3-1/2 star rating, I would.
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| Review by JW January 30, 2005
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Performance: Sonics: |
Nick Drake is surrounded by a lot of mystery and cultish hype, and this SA-CD is a good way to discover what it is all about since the songs here are culled from his three albums. Upon initial listening I felt pretty good about it, but wondered whether it was not too boring - his voice and singing can be described as monotone - and whether it would hold up to frequent listening. I did know though it was a keeper. Upon further exploration the qualities of this singer/songwriter unveiled themselves fairly easily to me.
Mellow, contemplative, an easy style, soft/silky voice and dreamy and at times fragile arrangements. It's far more than a 'man with a guitar'. Stand out songs for me are 'River Man', 'Poor Boy' and 'Cello Song' with their flowing rhythmns, inherent swing and expansive arrangements. 'River Man' is one of those staring-into-the-distance songs. 'Fruit Tree' and 'Way To Blue' are very beautiful, dreamy ballads with nice string arrangements and good picking of acoustic guitar on the first.
As far as sonics are concerned I agree with vonwegen below - though I can only judge the 2CH mix.
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| Review by mukkachukka January 31, 2005 (2 of 2 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics: |
Here it is, the ULTIMATE Nick Drake album. Although he only released three albums in his lifetime, Drake has inspired countless songwriters and musicians (especially those in the alternative rock camp). "Pink Moon" is the song that catapulted him into the national spotlight a few years ago, as millions of Americans heard it in the now-infamous Volkswagen commercial. And with this collection, you get that song and 14 other classic Drake tunes.
The thing that struck me immediately after one listen to this SACD was how organically it flowed from one song to the next. This is no thrown-together greatest hits package. It's obvious that much thought and care was taken into account when choosing the tracklisting for Treasury.
So what does his music sound like? Well, if you've ever heard Kevin Ayers, Drake sounds alot like a really mellow Kevin Ayers. He has a very deep, laid-back, relaxed singing style and most of the tunes are built around his highly-underrated acoustic guitar playing. The lyrics are pretty downbeat and depressing, but brilliant. Some of the songs are just him singing and playing his acoustic, while others have a full electric band. There are even a few songs that have beautiful string and brass orchestrations accompanying Drake. Bowie fans will dig the song, "Poor Boy." Pearl Jam fans will be astonished at how the vocals on the song "Black Eyed Dog" closely resemble those of Eddie Vedder. And anybody who is a fan of Fairport Convention and Bob Dylan would probably greatly appreciate this collection.
In addition, a few of the famous musicians featured on this release are: Richard Thompson (guitar), Dave Pegg (bass), and John Cale (keyboards).
All the layers of this SACD are fantastic, but special mention should be given to the 5.1 mix. Great acoustic guitar sound, rich vocals, and nice use of the surrounds with strings, female backing vocals, and acoustic guitars totally enveloping the listener into the world of Nick Drake.
Hopefully Universal-Island will be putting out more SACDs of their classic rock/pop catalogue in the future, because this one is a true winner!
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| Review by Empanadilla September 4, 2008 (1 of 2 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics (MC): |
Bottom line:
They could only find the Multitracks for the "Bryter Later" sessions since these are the only ones that are presented in real surround; the songs from the other LPs are "Faux Surround",
but still,
it's great to hear Nick's voice and Guitar in SACD, much clearer and with more prescence.
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